Vampire-Go
by FaiKazahaya
Summary: LARGE SPOILER ALERT for volumes 10-12 of Tsubasa Chronicles :) USES DIRECT QUOTES!- It's the Dragonfly Race, but what if there was someone new-someone important-that enters the race this time? Kurogane/Fai, Sakura/Syaoran, futureFai/Kuro
1. Look-Alike

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Tsubasa Chronicles, or any of the characters. I do, however, love them like my own. The beginning can be found directly from volumes 10-12, or chapters 70-90.**

**Please enjoy, and please leave a comment in the review area on whether you like the story, if you hated its guts, or if you have any suggestions to make it better! Every little bit helps!**

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Cars crowded behind the four Dragonfly machines, and in front of the Dragonflies were many women-guards in black suits. It was a crystal-clear day in the world called Piffle, if not a little warm.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting!" Fai cried out happily, carrying a tray of iced teas. On his head, Mokona supported a second tray, and behind them Syaoran held a third, looking flustered.

As they passed out the tea to the guards, Mokona hopped down to the table where Kurogane, Sakura and another girl. "Mokona helped out with the iced tea!" it declared on the table, holding out a glass for the young lady with long black hair.

"Well, isn't that wonderful of you!" she smiled, clapping her hands. "But isn't it amazing what they can do with robots these days! The people of your country must have some of the best scientists around."

Fai laughed.

"I wish my company could build something like this!" she continued joyfully, shaking Mokona's… (paw, hand?)

"Company?" wondered Sakura.

"I must be forgetting my manners. My name is Tomoyo Daitôji. I'm the president of the Piffle Princess Corporation."

"The president? The most important person! Wow!" Mokona exclaimed, standing on Tomoyo's hand. She then told Mokona how all the women around them were her bodyguards.

"Piffle Princess…" Syaoran mused. "That wouldn't be the same company as the race…"

"Yes, it is…" Tomoyo concluded. "My company is the main sponsor." Then she got perky, standing up halfway and spinning around deliberately. "I couldn't resist a Dragonfly race! Or the grand prize, either! From the start until the instant the final checkered flag falls… I intend to record every moment! And for that reason, I need my heroine to enter the race!"

She finished with a planned flash of petals in the air, raising her hand as if in victory, her other hand on Sakura's. The entire audience of guards clapped.

Then, for whatever reason, Sakura later was in her Dragonfly, sliding on her goggles and starting the engines. She gripped the steering wheel. Then, in seconds, she was soaring through the air, a determined look upon her face. Everyone below looked up at her in anticipation.

Suddenly, but not surprisingly, Sakura's Dragonfly wobbled. She started to sink, her engine puffing out smoke. She cried out, and she fell over. Syaoran, alarmed, ran after her as it fell…

Except, she hardly fell at all. Sure hands tipped a wing from underneath, and she was unexpectedly gliding a few feet over the ground. She made a graceful stop on the tiles, immediately standing in her Dragonfly with a confused look. Syaoran stopped shortly after seeing someone right in front of her.

"F-Fai-san?" he stammered, unsure.

The man that stood before them looked _just like_ Fai, except with a fully-black version of Fai's outfit, and longer hair tied back in a small ponytail. Also, and most importantly, he wasn't smiling. Instead, his face was almost depressed-looking.

When the man seemed to notice Syaoran, he smiled, quick and sad, before returning to his dark look.

From far behind them, Sakura, Mokona, and Syaoran heard Tomoyo clap loudly. "Ah! Good timing! I knew you wouldn't let my heroine hurt herself before the race!"

In response, the man braced his foot against Sakura's Dragonfly and held out a hand for her. Flustered and confused, Sakura took it, letting him help her out of her vehicle.

"You look just like Fai!" Mokona cried happily, hopping from Syaoran's shoulder to the new guy's. The man looked about as alarmed as Tomoyo did about seeing Mokona. He quirked an eyebrow at it.

"Do I?" he muttered, but he petted Mokona with his free hand gently despite his sad look.

They all walked over to the rest of the people, the man letting go of Sakura's hand when she began to move. Mokona crawled up to the man's head, leaning over his bangs to see.

"Good day," he called out, in a voice that was quite like Fai's.

"Hello!" Tomoyo called back, raising a hand to him. "Nice day isn't it? I haven't seen you in almost a week. How have you been?"

"Same as always," he murmured, smiling lightly at her.

"That is to say, bad as hell," Kurogane muttered, looking away when Fai turned a curious look his way. Fai shrugged, smiling largely at the new man.

"We look just alike!" Fai joked, leaning forward.

"Like twins," the man agreed in a sigh, glaring daggers at Fai. Fai looked taken aback by this response.

"I-Indeed," Fai said, barely managing to keep his smile. Kurogane shot a suspicious look from one Fai to the other. Kurogane already knew something was up.

"Is your name Fai-san too?" Sakura asked, worriedly looking at the man.

He turned to her, his eyes softening. "To some, maybe. But you may call me Yui."

"Ah! Okay," Sakura smiled. "Then, Yui-san… what brings you here today?"

Yui's smile widened largely, too suddenly. "To bask in the radiance of two beautiful ladies of course~!"

"WHAT THE HELL?" Kurogane shouted.

"Now, now, Kuro-pii!" laughed Fai, dancing over to Yui and grabbing his hands. "Yui-kun, this is Kuro-rin, and over there is Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun! And of course, my name is Fai!"

"KUROGANE, you idiot!" the big burly man insisted, "_Kurogane!_"

"And this is Mokona!" Mokona exclaimed, twirling on Yui's head.

Yui's smile remained, but his hands were limp in Fai's. "It's wonderful to meet you all, Sakura-chan, Syaoran-kun, Fai-kun, Mokona… is Kurogane-kun alright?"

Everyone stopped and stared at Yui. Yui smiled back.

"No?" he murmured at Kurogane.

"Uh," Kurogane frowned. "I guess… that's alright."

An awkward silence followed, though Yui seemed unaffected by it. He slipped his hands away from Fai's, and deftly changed the subject. "So are you all going to be participating in the Dragonfly Race?"

Kurogane grumbled something incoherent.

"Yes!" Sakura cried, flushing happily. "And thank you for helping me. I forgot to tell you that!"

"Think nothing of it," Yui answered, bowing slightly in respect. "It's not every day I surround myself by _two_ princesses at a time."

Syaoran's head snapped up. "How did you know Sakura was…?"

Yui neatly touched his (his own, not Syaoran's) lips with a finger and curled his mouth into a smile. "You need to learn to not exclaim that when you're calling for her."

"Oh," Syaoran blushed, apparently not aware that he'd called _'Princess!'_ when she'd almost crashed.

Kurogane and Fai looked at Yui with similar looks of suspicion.

"Well!" Tomoyo called, clapping her hands together for the third time that day. "The sun's starting to set. I think it's about time to be heading back for the Corporation. Yui-kun, will you come?"

Yui turned his smile to Tomoyo, but it had a hardened look about it. "Of course, Tomoyo-chan."

"Oh, but don't you want to stay for tea, Yui-san?" Sakura asked innocently.

Yui waved a hand at Sakura. "No thank you, princess. But thanks for the offer." He began to walk toward Tomoyo, who had risen to leave.

Kurogane clamped a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Oh~ So intimate, Kuro-puu!" Fai cried, laughing.

But Yui didn't take it as lightly as Fai. He shrugged away, walked straight back to Syaoran and Sakura, and swiftly covered the princess' ears with his hands. She looked at him in confusion.

With his hands still clamped over her ears, he turned his head enough to glare at Kurogane from the corner of his eye. Carefully, he covered the eye that was visible to Sakura with his bangs. Mokona jumped down to Sakura's head.

"_Touch me like that again, and I'll gut you like a fish!_" he hissed, his eyes turning a dull golden color for barely a moment. After he finished, his hands snapped off of Sakura, and his eyes returned to normal.

"Yui-san?" she whispered.

He smiled falsely at her, patting her head where Mokona wasn't. "I'm quite alright, Sakura-chan. Kurogane-kun just needed a tiny comment that you shouldn't hear… See you at the race?"

Sakura's eyes brightened as she entirely forgot about the looming threat in the air. "You're going to race too, right?"

He nodded, and she clapped her hands together with joy. "Good luck, then!"

He smirked, saying his goodbyes to Sakura, Syaoran, and Mokona. Then he walked off gracefully back to Tomoyo, intentionally avoiding Kurogane. Tomoyo touched his arm, and he gifted her with a weak smile. Together, they walked off to the mass of cars, followed by a herd of guards. They were all gone within moments once their engines started.

Silence stretched out from the group of four (five, sorry Mokona).

Something strange was going to come out of this 'Dragonfly Race'. It had been obvious from the start, but now it was an unavoidable subject to face.

"Well," Fai coughed, attempting to bring back a good mood. "He was quite into you, wasn't he, Kuro-muu?"

"STOP CALLING ME WEIRD NAMES, DAMMIT!"

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**Thank you all for reading! Please leave a comment in the reviews on whether or not I should continue this story~ everyone's opinion counts! (Seriously, my other fan-fiction "Blood to Snow" currently only has 4 reviews—though that may be because the intro sucks and hardly anyone reads on to where things get interesting. Either that or I just suck at writing****) Thank you all for reading!**

'**Blood to Snow' is also a story about Tsubasa Chronicles, but mainly about Kurogane and Fai. If you liked this, I'll suggest reading that next, though you can skip the first chapter if you'd like. I hate intros**** Please comment!**


	2. Weakling

**I kind of realized too late that putting that many direct references into Chapter 1 might have been too much for your patience, so please forgive me! *bow* I got rid of most of the unneeded stuff in that chapter, I promise!**

**Please enjoy this chapter, there are no direct references to the real story here, just, perhaps, some hints to it.**

_Beep…beep…beep…_

Groggily, I opened my eyes. A shiver quaked through my body, which was as weak as ever. From underneath thin hospital clothes, I could feel the cloth sliding over each individual rib, each sensitive bone. The hard bed beneath me didn't help but bruise my fragile skin, and to harm my thinning bones. Also, the IV… I shivered again, unbound blonde hair falling over my eyes. When they had tried a transfusion in order to help me… it hadn't been pretty.

I knew I was dying. And when had this started? When I had been separated from my group—from my _food source_.

I don't know how it happened, but I do know that there wasn't any way out of the "circle" without Mokona and the rest of them finding me first.

I lifted a finger straight up, casting a spurt of magic. It fizzled out, and acted as my proof that even my magic was lessening. Being gone from Kuro-sama for this long had been acting quite negatively to my health.

My arm fell across my chest quivering, its strength spent. I could hardly move anymore, let alone stand!

'_But I have to...'_ I told myself, squeezing my eyes shut. _'Did I not promise? I have to…!'_

Taking a deep breath that strained my poor ribs, I sat up. I kept my eyes securely shut and fought the nauseating feeling that made me wish I hadn't moved at all. After a couple minutes of staying in that position, the feeling faded, but my arms shook from supporting my weight for so long.

With one last push, I stood.

As soon as I was upright, I swayed unsettlingly, stumbling forward a few steps.

Something warm stopped me.

I blinked open my eyes, and was staring into the eyes of Tomoyo. She smiled and laughed at me, placing her hands on my chest and kept me upright. "You shouldn't be up," she scolded me.

"I have to," I croaked. I cleared my throat—it was so _dry_.

Her eyes became those of worry. I didn't like worry. I _hated_ it.

'_Please start smiling again,'_ I urged her mentally, but it was to no use. She had already figured out something that worried her. I let my shoulders fall unhappily.

"What's so important that you'd risk your health even more?" she asked quietly.

My hair fanned over my eyes to hide my expression. _'I can't answer that without interfering!'_ I cried into my thoughts. _'Please just stop asking questions. I can't take much more…'_ I swayed again, staggering back and falling onto the hospital bed. _'Damn,'_ I bit my lip to keep from crying out. _'Another bruise to bother me later.'_

Tomoyo touched my face. "Yui-kun?"

I looked up at her sullenly. She sighed.

"I won't bother you with any more questions," she promised. "But please just answer this before I start… why did you enter the Dragonfly race? Is it for those people new to this country?"

"I must…" I took a shaky breath. "I must… protect what I couldn't before."

Tomoyo looked at me, long and hard, but my face had fallen after I had spoken. I wasn't going to clarify my answer. Curtains of her velvety black hair cloaked my vision just beyond my own hair, and as I waited for her to drop it, she finally did.

"Alright," she murmured, raising her hand and smoothing some of the ruffled hair on my head. "I'll accept that answer. And because you answered, it must mean that that is an explanation that I can give to those newcomers about your health?"

My head snapped up, eyes wide.

Tomoyo smiled, and gracefully turned and walked out the door without another word. As she closed the door behind her, the shadows weighed in, almost choking me. I tipped my head back and gazed at the plain white ceiling. It reminded me of snow.

'_Sakura… what is it I'm here for? You would know best, wouldn't you?'_ I shifted and laid flat across the hospital bed, forming tiny snowflakes across the ceiling with my imagination. Seresu appeared, serene and beautiful, amongst those flakes.

I was too tired to feel any shock at seeing my dead home. I blinked up at it, feigning indifference. Silently, I watched the snow flow around the castle, around and around, slowly encasing it in an icy blanket. Seresu was soon gone under the snow.

Pink bled into the snow, and it swirled around and around until the flakes became petals of Sakura blossoms. The petals flew away just enough to expose another building: Princess Tomoyo and Kurogane's home… Japan.

The petals formed together and turned to sand, and then showed me the Kingdom of Clow, and the sky-scraping wings of the Ruins.

My eyes slid closed, and my breathing slowed. Thoughts of my companions ran off other thoughts I had been having. Sakura, sweet and innocent, who laughed with Syaoran, who was so kind and determined, and there was Mokona laughing atop Syaoran's head, just being Mokona… I laughed to myself.

And there was Kuro-tan, being his calm, but still slightly-arrogant self. I remembered when he hit Syaoran on the head just for the depressed look he had had on, and at the thought I couldn't help but smile. Kuro-daddy was so great with the kids, it almost made me jealous!

My smile relaxed, my imagination pulling the four of them back with me into the Kingdom of Clow, where we had last all been together. Sakura hugged Syaoran tightly, as her greeting after a long time of being separated, and then turned to Mokona and did the same.

She lifted her head at Kuro-rin and me, and smiled widely…

Her warm arms enveloped me, dispersing any chills I still had from the previous world. I reached forward and held her back, sitting my cheek on her head.

"I missed you," she said, pulling back with tears in her eyes. She looked from me to everyone else. "I missed all of you!"

Kuro-sama huffed, and then smirked.

I laughed and gave Kuro-rinta a smug look. "Even Father's glad to see his daughter again, ne?" He answered me with that half-hearted glare of his. "Oh, come on!" I egged him, turning to him with Sakura still in my arms. "Hold your daughter, Kuro-daddy!"

Kuro-daddy took an alarmed step backward, and Mokona and I laughed at him. "Come on, Kuro-daddy~!" Mokona insisted in my voice. "Your daughter can't go without a hug from Father!"

Sakura looked up at Kuro-sama with innocent, confused eyes, and then she looked at me.

"Fai-san…"

"Now, now! We've been together for too long for you to act respectful around us! Call me _Fai_!"

"F-Fai," she squirmed, a light blush crossing her cheeks. "I can't give him a hug without you letting me go first…"

I smiled down at her. "Sure you can!"

"Mother wants a hug from Father too~!" Mokona cried gleefully.

"B.S.!" Kurogane growled.

With the litheness of a vampire, I swiftly let go of Sakura and hugged Kurogane, slyly trapping him. He tried fruitlessly to get away from me. "Quickly, Sakura!" my voice was high and excited. "Hug Kuro-daddy before he gets away again!"

"Let go of me!" shouted Kuro-tan.

Everyone but him couldn't help but laugh. An aggravated blush colored his tan cheeks.

Sakura—who was probably acting out of pity to help Kuro-tan—stepped forward and hugged us both. I let go of Kuro-rin with one arm and held Sakura with the other, trapping them both. I raised my head to Syaoran and Mokona.

"Group hug~!" Mokona said joyfully, jumping from Syaoran's head and hugging Kuro-sama.

Syaoran just stood there, with an expression crossed between amusement and confusion. "Come on, Syaoran! Father needs a hug from his son too!" I cried to him.

With a skeptic look, Syaoran stepped forward and held Sakura instead, which I counted as close enough. Sakura's flushed face was a well-needed gift to them all.

"Alright, mage," huffed Kuro-daddy. "I've had enough. Let me go already."

I let Sakura, Syaoran and Mokona escape, but I kept myself pinned to Kuro-tan. "Never!" was my answer. In response, Kuro-puu grabbed my face and forced my lips into a fish-like purse.

"Let. _Go_," he insisted, forcing my face close to his.

I struggled against this surprising hold, mostly in order to free my face to retort, but his hand held firm. Even with my vampire strength, I could not get free. My energy seemed to drain from where our skin touched, and a coat of cold sweat dripped down my face.

"Ngh," I mumbled, tugging at his hand with both of mine. I had let him go, but why wasn't _he_?

I scanned behind me, using my magic, for Sakura or Syaoran. Oddly, they weren't there! The world had shifted back to Kuro-sama's Japan, and we were the only ones there. We seemed to be in a room, with one of Kuro-tan's strange floor-beds along the ground. Kuro-rinta slammed me down hard onto the blanket and pillows.

"Kuro—" I struggled to speak. He swiftly let go of my face, but loomed over me threateningly. I was pitiful and weak under him, and I knew there was no escape. Whatever he was going to try—just let it be _quick_.

"_Why_?" he growled.

"'Why?'" I wondered, surprised.

He nodded, not saying anything else.

Confused greatly, I squinted up at him. "Why… I hugged you? I do that all the time, Kuro-tan." He shook his head, still not speaking. He didn't even move while he waited for his answer. "Kuro-sama… I'm confused. Please, what did I do?"

"You disappeared," he hissed, balling his fists at my sides. My eyes widened up at him.

I suddenly believed that we were actually speaking through dreams—this was _actually Kuro-sama_. Tears threatened to form, but I was too weak. Not even tears could fall in the shape I was in. "Do you think I wanted to leave?" I whispered, my breath coming harshly now.

Kuro-tan seemed to notice, for the first time, my condition. "Fai—"

"I don't know _why_ I was forced here," I snapped with a tiny spout of energy. "I am dying! And, so long ago, didn't I say that I wasn't going to die for stupid reasons like following my twin? Are you mocking my promises to you?"

Suddenly he picked me up and sat down, throwing me onto his lap. His strong-muscled arms—one of them mechanic—held me so very close to him. I gasped aloud, but his arms weren't squeezing me to where I couldn't breathe. I froze in shock, staring up at him.

I swallowed dryly. "Kuro-sama."

"Can you take my blood in dreams?" he inquired.

"I-I don't know."

"Have you drunk from the flasks?"

I gave him an odd look. "What flasks?"

He sighed, relaxing. "I had a bad feeling that something would happen to you. That you would be separated from us, and so I put five flasks of my blood into the satchel you got from our second visit to the world called Adonis. Do you still have the satchel?"

"Yes." A tightening in my chest informed me that I hadn't even _looked _into the satchel when I'd come into the past's Piffle World. I'd almost forgotten I'd even had it. It was right next to me in the hospital. "I'll look in there, Kuro-pii. I'll drink the blood. Thank you, for having that all-knowing air about you."

He smirked, patting down ruffled blonde hair. "Get some rest," he commanded, setting me down onto the floor-bed. "Tomoyo told me once that sleeping within a dream keeps you even more rested."

I smiled up at him, raising my arms limply. "Sleep with me, then?"

His smirk faded, and he raised an eyebrow at this, but my weakened state brought an obvious feel of pity to him, and he shifted the blankets and slipped under them with me. I rolled over and rested my head on his chest.

"I'll protect them," I promised.

"I know you will," he answered gruffly, keeping his eyes over my head. "You promised already. Just remember to let me take a shot at those two that disappeared."

I smiled and nodded, cuddling up to his form. I heard his heartbeat accelerate. My weakened body relaxed more and more, and gingerly I slipped into a deeper sleep, with Kuro-tan's warm form keeping me alive and well. Some strength returned to me.

'_Hopefully,'_ I thought. _'Hopefully that will be enough, until I can find that satchel.'_


	3. Vampire-Go

**Gya! Sorry for the wait! *bow* I know the few who wanted to read this have probably gotten impatient with me, but I will persevere~ School won't stop me!**

**It's time! Let the Dragonfly Race begin!**

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I winced eternally at the deafening cheers of the crowd surrounding me and all of the other Dragonfly Racers. Clouds of confetti exploded all around, covering everyone and everything in bright paper, but I didn't let the colors sway me. I was still weak from last night, but the blood Kuro-puu had provided for me strengthened me tenfold.

I stood next to my Dragonfly, an ironically dark-colored version of the other Fai's Tsubame-Go with the bat-like wings of Kurogane's Kuro-tan-Go, and gazed out at all of the other racers. They were all recognizable from a number of different worlds that I had visited in the past with my group.

My heart sank at the sight of so many people I knew, but I didn't let that show on my face. I kept a warm-looking smile on my face, unlike the other Fai's overly cheerful one. While I looked around, I caught sight of a familiar group. My heart squeezed with sadness and memories.

With my hearing, I easily picked out what they were saying. They were talking about how they were going to have to do the race twice. My smile softened a little. They had no idea of the troubles that were headed their way.

On that note: I noticed Kyle. My sapphire eyes narrowed slightly at him, but I avoided my gaze before anyone could notice. I skipped over to past Syaoran's group before I could lunge at the traitorous man and do something without any evidence.

As I neared I focused on Tomoyo's voice. "…is the preliminary run," I heard her say. "Those who do best in the prelim qualify for the final run."

"'And the one who wins the final run is the one who gets to keep that powerful battery," I mimicked Tomoyo's voice as I walked up to them. They all spun to look at me, as if they hadn't seen me coming. Tomoyo's eyes widened slightly.

"Yui-kun!" she cried, running up to me. "Why are you here? After what happened yesterday—"

I shushed her. "I am fine, Tomoyo-chan. Fit as a fiddle!" I pirouetted for her, to show her how well I was feeling. My hair bounced over my face, and my smile never wavered once.

Her eyes turned into suspicion for a millisecond before her face brightened. "That's great, Yui-kun! I was worried after that episode you had!" She grabbed my hands in her small ones, and we twirled. "Now this Dragonfly Race will be a legendary one!"

Tomoyo turned with inhuman speed and grabbed her camera. She zoomed over to Sakura with a delighted expression. "And thus, you're going to go and get the prize!" she exclaimed joyfully. Sakura flushed.

I smiled at them with my eyes closed, basking in the radiance of the two young ladies. _'They're so cute,'_ I couldn't help but think. It wasn't hard to forget myself in the two girls' looks of innocence and joy, but it wasn't all I was thinking at the moment. In fact, I was trying very hard to ignore a hard glare directed at my back.

When I couldn't take it anymore, my eyes opened slowly, and I turned to the man who was staring. My smile widened a little at Kurogane's grim and serious expression. It reminded me of last night's dream.

"Is there something you want, Kurogane-san?" I asked him quietly.

Even to the ears of a ninja, I knew that it was difficult for Kurogane to have heard that over the cries of the audience. But he grunted—he'd heard it flawlessly. It was yet another thing I loved about the warrior.

_Love? _That was a foreign thought to my mind.

As Kurogane opened his mouth to speak, my heart thumping in my chest as I fought the blush that threatened to form on my cheeks, a loud exclamation interrupted him. "WE'RE ABOUT READY TO START THE DRAGONFLY RACE!"

I smirked slightly at that, not in the slightest bit surprised. This was because, of course, I had seen this happen before. Kurogane—however—was frozen in shock. I turned away from him reluctantly, waving to Tomoyo as I made my way back to my Dragonfly.

"See you all at the finish line!" I cried happily. Kurogane cursed in response.

The excited announcer continued speaking as I walked off to find my Dragonfly: "THIS RACE BOASTS THE BEST PRIZE EVER, AND THAT HAS ATTRACTED THE MOST ENTRANTS EVER! BUT IT'S AN UPHILL BATTLE! IF A PILOT ISN'T IN THE TOP TWENTY IN THE PRELIM RACE, THEY WON'T BE ALLOWED TO COMPETE IN THE FINAL!"

My eyes squinted at the loud voice, slapping out the ringing it left in my ear. That was one of the points that had made me hesitant to run the Dragonfly race a second time, but it didn't matter. _It didn't matter._ What mattered was protecting them.

'_I will keep my promise,'_ I told myself, tapping the hood of my Dragonfly lightly. I nodded to myself, glancing back at the group. They were gawking at all the familiar faces around them. _'How did we not notice that before?'_ I asked myself, the corners of my mouth tipping down in avid curiosity, skimming my eyes at everyone.

A familiar gaze fell on me, but quickly moved away. I glanced back at the raven-haired man, a slight red coloring my cheeks when I realized that it was _Kurogane_ that had been watching me. _'Why does he keep looking at me?'_

The announcer continued: "NOW, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!"

With a barely contained sigh, I jumped into my Dragonfly and started the engine. Other racers followed suit. _'Just like last time… But now, I can go out of my way this time to protect them.'_ I shot a halfhearted glance over in the direction of the travelers. Kurogane's ruby eyes met mine.

I looked hurriedly away.

The announcer finished his speech with a fist in the air, excited beyond anything I would have deemed _normal_. He moved everyone's attention over to the President of the Piffle Princess Corporation, and I trained my eyes on her. Her dark clothing allowed her beautiful cream-colored skin to stand out in the bright sun, and the large checkered flag in her hand flapped wildly in the wind.

Atop her balloon she waved the flag, her smile calm and joyful as always as she marked the start of the Dragonfly Race. The racers all zoomed up and forward with amazing speed, their vehicles' metal hides glinting in the light.

I drove my Dragonfly with expertise, diving and spinning around other competitors, not to be struck in awe by a beautiful sight that I had seen once already. I sped up toward the leading groups of the race.

"—DO WE HAVE OUR FIRST ELIMINATION ALREADY?!"

I jumped at that, shifting my Dragonfly to the side by accident. I looked in the mirror and watched Sakura tilt and fall unsteadily, with Syaoran following her, shouting commands. Mokona squealed gleefully on the princess' head.

Frowning, I watched her climb back to a safe height before turning my attention back to the race. The announcer proclaimed her success at starting the vehicle back up loudly, and I winced again. I gritted my teeth unhappily, clenching my hands on the steering wheel.

"I must say, you make a wonderful combo!" I heard Tomoyo exclaim to the two, earning a cry of surprise from them both. I couldn't help but smile at that: they had no idea how great a couple they were.

For half a millisecond, I pictured Kuro-puu saying to me _'Don't get distracted!'_ My smile faded. That's right—I had to protect something. There should be no needless interventions to get in my way.

And with that I turned back to the race and sped forward to the past Fai and Kurogane.

"…right? Let's keep the useless chatter out of it!"

"This _is_ a contest, but…"

I bit my lip to contain a chuckle. Of course they were fighting. Who were Fai and Kurogane without the mindless violence and flirting? The yells and giggles?

I couldn't help the smirk that flashed over my face while I watched the past version of myself get a tiny bit serious, speeding up and driving past Kurogane. Kurogane's retort was also amusing, his dark voice gruff with importance while he also sped up to catch up with Fai.

He glanced back for a moment, and our eyes met again. I mentally bared my teeth at him: _'Stop distracting me you idiot!'_ He chuckled and sped along in response. I grumbled to myself for several minutes at that.

Suddenly, the announcer's voice came back on. _'I SHOULD HAVE SEEN THAT COMING! Ugh.'_ "I COULD HAVE PREDICTED THIS! ALL OF THE REGULAR ENTRANTS TO THE DRAGONFLY RACE ARE LEADING THE PACK!"

I glared in the general direction the voice was coming from, but made sure to keep close to Kurogane and Fai. "Bastard," I muttered under my breath.

'_And here comes the change—'_

"HEY! WHO ARE THOSE THREE FOLLOWING RIGHT BEHIND?"

I smiled, mentally choking that announcer-guy to death. Slow, painful… Yeah, good times. It almost made me forget the race, but I was a bit too smart to forget about flying ten thousand feet in the air.

"IT'S THREE FIRST-TIME ENTRANTS! TSUBAME-GO, KUROTAN-GO, AND VAMPIRE-GO!"

"Why do you always have to give us those _STUPID NAMES_?!" the raven-haired man roared at the past version of myself. My smile widened self-consciously.

"It's more fun with cute names~!" Fai cheered.

I laughed loudly at that. "It's always fun with cute names!" I giggled. Kurogane shot me a disbelieved look that shortly turned into a glare. "Ah ha!" my smile widened, "You should be paying more attention to the race, Kuro~! Watch the wind!"

His ruby eyes narrowed at me, but he seemed to take the hint. He quickly turned back to the race. Fai's face still watched me, though, with a suspicious expression behind his mask of joy. I met his eyes bravely, always prepared to beat myself down or to confront my past. The past version of myself couldn't help but narrow his eyes at me ever-so-slightly.

'_It's because of you, Kuro-sama,'_ I thought dreamily. _'If I had never met you, I would still be lost in the past. Thank you for caring. And now, I will protect my promises to you and to them. You can trust me now, unlike at this point, where everything I did was a lie.'_

I gave the past Kurogane a small glance before focusing, once again, on the task at hand. The past Fai pouted curiously, but turned back to his own Dragonfly as well.

"Vampire-Go?" I could hear him whisper.

Only then did I realize the huge mistake I'd made.

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**THANK YOU FOR READING! I will get the next chapter up as soon as humanly possible, (as humanly as possible since I have to work on the next chapter to _Blood to Snow_) so look forward to it! Please review!**


	4. Blind Racing

**Previously, in Vampire-Go Chapter 3…**

_I gave the past Kurogane a small glance before focusing, once again, on the task at hand. The past Fai pouted curiously, but turned back to his own Dragonfly as well._

"_Vampire-Go?" I could hear him whisper._

_Only then did I realize the huge mistake I'd made._

* * *

How could I have been _so stupid?_ Naming my Dragonfly had given me the giggles before, when I had thought about the irony in it… but now? _Now_ they knew what I was—or at least, they had some clue toward it. My mask and identity was faltering, showing now what was truthful. Right now, I could only hope, is that they would forget about it in focusing on the race.

And then I sighed and sank back into my seat. That's _right_! Only Syaoran had the knowledge of vampires, thanks to his first fighting teacher forgot his name :P. And Syaoran never consulted anyone about anything unless it had any significance. I was safe. For now.

I shot a half-hearted glance towards Kurogane's back, but avoided my eyes before I could be noticed. I didn't want to get all flustered under those ruby eyes and end up spiraling thousands of feet to my death.

'_Not, at least, under these circumstances,'_ I amended to myself, cocking my head at the sky in front of me. I feigned a carefree expression, almost like my past self was wearing right now. No. Don't think about him—the idiot, the liar, the traitor! Don't think about myself…

"WHAT'S THIS?!" an annoyingly loud voice broke my train of thought. I snapped my head up, just in time to see the wind veering towards us.

I adjusted my Dragonfly quickly to avoid it, just as the past me and Kurogane did. I gritted my teeth angrily. Why had I gotten so distracted? Seriously, I needed to work on focusing. The announcer guy continued as I sped along with the two from my past, swerving away from debris and parachutes and people so I didn't crash as well.

Around the time I figured Syaoran and Sakura would be avoiding the wind and debris as well, I sighed. No one would notice me with all the other things going on, so I could afford to let my mask slip for a few moments. My face lowered, my eyes still looking ahead in a menacing way. The wind made me squint.

'_Life is so difficult without you, Kuro-burro,'_ I thought forlornly, fighting tears. _'Please don't make me wait much longer for you. I want you back, my adorable big puppy. Come to me soon. Please. Please.'_

When I finished my thought, I raised my head and placed my mask back on thick. I didn't like it, but I was willing to wait for him to come to me. I still had four flasks that would last me four more months, and I felt two of them inside my jacket pocket, bumping into my side. The scent of the blood gave me hope, and a bit of true feeling slipped out of my mask and made me smile truly. I looked around.

"AHH! ARE THOSE PRESIDENT TOMOYO'S SPOTLIGHTS?!"

I jumped a little, and then grimaced. I looked around and, consequently, looked straight into those ruby eyes that I both adored and feared. They met mine with an odd hunger that left me breathless, and pink colored my wind-burnt cheeks.

"What is it?" he called to me, narrowing those beautiful eyes of his and giving me a look that was supposed to be fear-inducing, but I found it very cute. I bit back the urge to squeal and call him "Kuro-puppy" and jump over onto Kuro-tan-Go to hug him tightly.

I wanted to laugh. I wanted to cry. I wanted to gouge out my eyes, but I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to feel those lips on mine—to feel his tongue explore the inside of my mouth and to nip at my bottom lip. I wanted this badly. _Badly._

I swallowed and flushed, looking pointedly away. "It's nothing~ Kurogane-san."

He glared and grunted.

"I GET IT! IT'S…"the announcer continued. "…THE RACE'S GRAND PRIZE! THE SUPER-ENERGY BATTERY! AND LOOK AT THE TOWER WHERE THAT BEAM OF LIGHT IS POINTINT! IT'S THE PRELIM RACE'S FINISH LINE! NOW, THE BIG QUESTION IS WHO WILL CLAIM THE BATTERY?!"

Kurogane grunted. "If that's the feather, then who cares about the race?"

"Hmm?" Fai hummed.

"We could just steal it, get the white pork bun to send us to a different world, and it'll be done."

I laughed loudly as Fai squealed. "Kurogane, you really are a bad person~" Kurogane shouted a retort, pissed. That made me laugh even harder.

"Ohh! Oh, please stop~ I can't breathe~ can't breathe!" I gasped for air, hiccupping on and off in my chortles. "Kuro is such a bad man—"

"_WILL YOU LAY OFF?!"_ he literally screamed.

"But it may not help, you know…" I just barely heard Fai whisper, "Even if we do steal it…"

"THE FABLED BATTERY THAT SUPPLIES THE POWER FOR MOST OF THE CITY!" the announcer declared, cutting off anything Kurogane could have added.

"And _this_ is its life-sized model! 3" added Tomoyo.

"Of course it is," I snorted at Kurogane. "Do you really think that Tomo-chan's stupid? She isn't going to get that feather in danger of being stolen by big brutes like _Kurogane_~!" I turned to Fai, adding "Right~?"

"Right~!" he replied cheerfully.

Kurogane scowled, but didn't retort this time.

Tomoyo continued, but I blocked it out. I didn't want to hear the same speech a second time. It was annoying enough the first—though he would never say that to Tomoyo's or, heaven forbid, _Kuro-tan's_ face.

"Tomoyo-chan's thought of everything," said my past form, smiling without a care in the world. "And that means we'll have to win this race for real. So first, we have to qualify for the final."

Kurogane _tsk_ed.

The announcer man made another loud exclamation, and I tried to block it out. A jarring pain was starting to throb in the back of my head. The Vampire-Go listed to the side slightly. Kurogane noticed, but didn't say anything; he just zoomed forward to clear a path through the lead Dragonflies.

I followed after him and Fai gratefully.

Doing my best to ignore the announcer-guy's frequent comments on the race, I just focused on the race. My breathing got a tiny bit harsher, and the edges of my vision blurred.

'_What's up with this?'_ I wondered subconsciously. _'Isn't the blood Kuro-puu gave to me supposed to strengthen me? I drank a flask—I should have at least a week before I need to drink again! But then, why… why is everything so… blurry…'_

"OH NO! IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THE VAMPIRE-GO HAS STARTED TO FALL! IS THIS IT FOR HIM?!"

I coughed, struggling to see. Where do I go… where…do…I…?

"Oi, man! Get a grip!" A voice exclaimed loudly, snapping me back into reality. My vision was still blurred, but that familiar voice told me where to go. It told me to follow Kurogane. Instinctively I worked the controls and set my course towards his voice. A sudden keening sound shrieked next to me, and smoke filled my nose.

"OH! VAMPIRE-GO JUST BARELY ESCAPED CRASHING INTO RENHI-GO, BUT HAS CAUSED IT INTO A SPIRAL! RENHI-GO IS OUT, BUT WILL VAMPIRE-GO RECOVER IN TIME TO KEEP RACING?!"

I closed my eyes, finding the blurriness more harmful than good. But where was Kurogane? I had to follow Kurogane… to protect what I wouldn't before. Where is he?

"Racing blindly is only going to cause another crash, idiot!"

I sighed in relief, adjusting again to fly towards him. "I'm good when Kuro-pii leads me~!" I cried to keep him talking. I flinched mentally at the nickname I gave him—this wasn't _my_ Kurogane—but it had to be done if I was going to catch his attention.

He literally roared his next reply: "Don't you dare start with those nicknames too, bastard!" I smiled genuinely, gladdened that my sacrifice coaxed the right response from him.

"Woah, Kuro-tan's so mean~!" squealed my past self.

"I don't need any of _your_ input, mage!"

"NOW, WHAT ABOUT THE MIDDLE PACK?" asked the announcer, who I knew was gesturing behind him. "WHOAH! WHAT'S THAT? IT'S MOKONA-GO!"

"What the hell?!" said the angry guy I was following. My smile widened at his reaction—I still wasn't used to his loud exclamations, even after so long of being exposed to them.

I sighed, fighting the queasy feeling that threatened to make me spill my guts all over my Dragonfly. Only a short way to go now.

3…

2…

1—

"IT LOOKS LIKE THE LEAD GROUP IS…CROSSING THE GOAL LINE!"

I swallowed back something vile, my hands shaky on the steering wheel. I made it… I made it!

I peeled back my eyelids from my eyes so I could land without crashing. The announcer's voice was now a deafening thudding in the back of my mind, and I was all but unconscious. I landed Vampire-Go next to Kurogane's Kuro-tan-Go, killing the engine and leaning my head against the headrest.

My hands refused to budge from the steering wheel, and my legs were shaky. Breathing shallowly, I swallowed down more of that dreadful sour taste that threatened to come up. My face was cold, and sweat dripped icily under my racing suit. My hair was plastered against my forehead.

I vaguely heard someone calling my name, and something shook my shoulders.

"…ui! Yui-san!"

_Syaoran_

"Eleventh… in…" I groaned.

"Yui-san! Can you hear me?!" Syaoran's voice was clearer now. It was as if some kind of fog was lifting from my mind.

"Ughnnn… Follow the wind."

"Eh?! Quickly, someone please get Yui-san a doctor! He needs a doctor!"

"No…" I moaned, turning my head away from his voice. "No… doctor… transfusion… almost killed. Not again! Won't die! Got to… protect… Follow the wind. That's the way you'll win… Follow…it… Sa…kura…chan."

"Oi, man! Quick spouting nonsense! You're scaring people!"

'_Kurogane… Kuro-sama's voice! Where…?'_ I reached towards the voice, searching… Something big and warm grabbed my wrist.

"Kuro…tan… I… will protect…"

"Protect what?" he asked, closer and softer. His breath warmed my cold, sticky face.

"I was…stupid… will…protect them… I… promised…"

The warm hand that gripped my wrist tightened, and pulled me up. I moaned an almost-silent protest, but it didn't stop the man from scooping me out of my Dragonfly and carrying me flush with his body. His arm moved to my thigh, holding me up.

I remembered this position well. It was the one he held me in when I'd first become a vampire.

My head fell onto his broad shoulder, my sweat and tears—when had I started crying?—staining his outfit. A strangled sound, faint with weakness, slipped from my lips. I felt awful. More bile rose in my throat. I wanted to warn him, but I might have puked as soon as my mouth opened. I managed to keep my mouth clamped shut.

"…THE WINGED EGG-GO!"

I couldn't help the relieved sigh that passed through my lips. "G…ood…Sakura…followed the wind…"

Kurogane grunted, his breath touching my face.

"That's great, Sakura!" I heard Mokona squeal happily.

"Thank you, Moko-chan!"

Fai added without missing a beat: "How could we ever doubt you, Sakura-chan!"

And with that… I could predict what would happen next.

"Thank—Wah! Yui-san! Are you okay?!" Her voice got closer and closer as she ran over to where Kurogane stood with me held against him.

I blearily opened my eyes to gauge her expression. She looked worried, paling at the look of my condition. I blinked a few times to try and focus my vision, but it wouldn't clear any more. My eyes slid back closed. "M'fine, Sakura-chan," I mumbled. "Jus' sleepy is all…"

That wasn't an entire lie—I was exhausted after that ordeal, but I could sense that she only began to worry more.

"Don't worry…'bout me… think about the final race, instead…!"

"He's right," realized Syaoran, giving me some peace of mind now that the object of conversation wasn't on me. "All that's left is the final race."

I swallowed again, my hearing tunneling. Everything was vibrations that jarred against my skull and left me breathless. My breathing was rapid, my thin chest rising and falling against Kurogane's arm and making him more aware of my problem than anyone else. I gulped down more stomach acid that attempted to pour from my mouth.

"…I…have…to…" I whispered. Only Kurogane would hear. "…Please let…me…protect what I…didn't…before…. Help…me…"

"I'm not going to get in your way, if that's what you mean," he grumbled. The others in his group were off talking with other Dragonfly racers, and he was walking me off to a medical vehicle at the edge of the crowd.

"Kurgy… always knows… what to say. And…Kurgs…please tell Tomoyo-chan to…apologize to… Chu'nyan…" I paused, forcing myself not to vomit. "It seems…she won't be in the Final…this time…"

"'This time', huh?"

I knew this was a huge risk, telling him this. But I trusted Kurogane. He understood more than he ever let on in the beginning, and only understood more and more as we ourselves had travelled with each other in the past. I nodded against his shoulder, biting my lip.

Kurogane huffed. "I figured… you and that mage are pretty different, it's true. But you two are also very much the same. You have the same presence."

"Kurgs…always knows…"

"Shh," he hushed me, stopping just long enough to lay a hand over my eyes, which were already closed. "Just get some sleep. As you said already, you have things to protect. You can't protect them while you're helpless. Sleep."

He removed his hand, and I was already slipping into a deep sleep.

Bliss followed.

* * *

**YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Finished it! I'm soo proud of myself. So? Did you enjoy it? Well?**

**Hm? You're not answering? If you don't answer, you'll make this poor fanfic-writer cry :''(**

**Come on. Just one word is good enough to keep me going. Five seconds out of your day. I realllly struggled to write this one, and I don't know how much farther I can go on just one review. (Though I do love you, reviewer. You saved my skin with your comment on loving this kind of plot :/)**

**Peace out! Love you guys! Look forward to Chapter 5!**


	5. Truth-Telling

**OH MAI GOSH thanks for reviewing guys! You made my day when I found your comments! XD *Dying of happiness here. But don't worry. I should be able to finish this chapter before I die~! Enjoy!***

* * *

_Beep…beep…beep…_

"Oh goddammit Kuro-min. Turn off the freaking alarm. I wanna sleep a few more minutes…"

Gruff laughter filled my ears. A subconscious smile spread across my lips when I heard the evidence that told me Kuro was awake also.

_Beep…beep…_

"No," I murmured, reaching up to hide the light that was shining in my eyes with my hand, but something tugged on my arm to keep it from moving very far. I didn't want to wake up. I wanted to stay with Kuro-sama a little longer. Yawning, I continued… "Seriously, Kuro-wan-wan… turn it off already. It's annoying…"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said gruffly, slightly amused and right next to me. He touched the hand I was struggling to raise and sat it back onto my stomach. I giggled under my breath.

"I feel loopy, Kuro-woof!" I exclaimed to him, slurring a little. To intensify this claim, I giggled again. I reached toward him, and felt him take my hand. It tingled along with my light-headed feeling.

"It's probably the drugs they gave you to keep you from violently puking out blood, which is what you were doing before they had to put you under. Are you okay now?"

'_Puking…blood?'_ "….Where am I, Kuro?"

"The hospital, in a room Tomoyo chose for you herself."

My muscles locked in place and I dug my nails into Kuro's hand. When I managed to remember what had happened, I sighed helplessly and forced myself to relax. Stressing was only going to make me puke up whatever was left in my stomach.

Speaking of stomachs—I was thirsty. Or was it hungry, since I couldn't eat food?

I moistened my lips, slowly trying to open my eyes. There was a bright light directly above my face, so I turned toward Kuro and squinted. He laughed again; commenting about how funny squinting made my face look. With opened eyes, I found this sight very uplifting.

"Kuro-Kuro," I meowed, to inflict a more immediate response from the man. "My satchel—did she bring my satchel in here? Or my racing suit?

"Your suit's right over there," he grunted, gesturing behind him to something I couldn't quite focus on yet. I was still marveling at waking to see Kuro's face. I mean, who _cared_ if this was my Kuro-daddy's past self? A Kurogane is still a Kurogane.

"In… In the left inside pocket is a flask. Can you bring me it, Kurgs?"

Even if I hadn't put on my immensely pitiful look with kitten eyes, I'm sure Kuro-tan still would have agreed, but I wanted to show him how amazing _I_ was. Not my past self—_me_.

Kurogane came back with it in his hand. I reached for it, but he sat down and uncorked it without bothering to hand it over to me.

"H… Hey, what're you doing?"

The man brought the flask to his face and sniffed at its contents. He grimaced as if he could somehow recognize the smell—his own blood, ironically. Slowly, taking the bottle from his face, he tipped the flask into his free hand, which he had cupped like a bowl…

"_NO!_"

I snatched the container before any of the precious blood could be spilled. Kurogane and I stared at each other. He was shocked. I was angry. Did he really_ dare_ to waste what little life I had left? Before he could snap to his senses, I brought it to my lips and swallowed the sweet, sweet blood in a few gulps. Not a single drop escaped.

_BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP_

Dammit. The tubes that had run into my arm to flow fluids (not blood—that would have been _horrid_) and to track my heart beats had been broken off. Now a long tone that wouldn't stop kept going…and going.

I groaned, holding my head in my hands. "_Stop it,_" I groaned to Kurogane. "My headache's coming back."

He grunted, recovering from his shock. Kurogane stood up and walked over to the door and opened it. He yelled for a nurse, and while he did it I curled up into a little ball and covered my ears with my hands, rocking back and forth like a troubled child. My eyes shut themselves.

'_Just a dream…'_ I thought disappointedly, wanting so very much to go straight back into that dream and experience it all over again. It had been so… _so…_ um, delightful? Yeah, that's what it was. Absolutely, blissfully delightful. In fact, I was still surprised it _hadn't _been real. Amazing what dreams could do these days.

"Oi," Kurgy's gruff voice cut through my thoughts, muffled by my hands that still covered up my ears. Something warm touched my cheek. "Hold out your arm. The nurse wants to replace the tubes that you had broken off."

I groaned at that, hugging my knees tighter to my chest. As I removed my hands from my ears, I noticed that the woman must have already turned off the monitor. _'No more.'_ I just wanted to go back to sleep and dream again. Opening up my eyes, I decided to make my thoughts obvious to Kuro by glancing up at him through my eyelashes. My eyes were wide and sad, covered partly by blonde locks. He gazed right back down at me, with softened ruby eyes and a peaceful look upon his face.

The staring contest didn't last but a few moments before Kurogane sighed and gave in to the look I was giving him. He turned to the nurse and muttered a few words to her. With a strange look directed at me, she left without a word, closing the door quietly behind her. I shut my eyes as she left and started to rock again.

"Hey." Kurogane ruffled my hair suddenly to shock me out of my rocking. I was almost tempted to snap my eyes open wide to look at him questioningly, so I instead shut my eyes tighter. I, however, I couldn't help but lean involuntarily into his warming touch.

"What?"

The man didn't say any more. He just kept his large hand on my head. There must've been something on his mind, so I wondered at what it could be. What wasn't he telling me? Was it something important, or something completely irrelevant to me?

Nervous now, my nails bit into the fabric of my hospital gown—wait! _The gown!_ Oh God, the gown! I was still curled up in a ball, in that funny way where I was completely exposed to whoever was right in front of me. I had been showing off_ that_ without even realizing it! With a humiliated flush that reached my ears and neck, but was luckily concealed with my thick hair, I lowered my legs so I was sitting more appropriately.

I hugged my arms to my chest now, and I stared down at the hem of my gown that was now settled a little too high on my thighs—but that wasn't as bad as before. I could get away with this, or so I believed. Biting my lip anxiously I waited for Kuro to say something. Anything.

…But no. It was still completely silent in the room. So much, in fact, that I had to glance in front of me just so I could be sure that he was even still in the room. Though I did see him clearly, my eyes were unable to travel higher than his well-muscled torso. I licked my lips, thinking of anything for myself to say.

"Well…um…" I struggled.

"Hm?"

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Wh…What are Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun doing right now, may I ask?"

I could almost sense Kurgs raise an eyebrow at me like _"Is that all you have to say? Really?"_ I refused to look up at him to confirm this look I could feel burning against the top of my head, more out of fear that I could be filled with the memories of my Kurgs and… *cough* last night's dream *cough*

Kurogane gave me another of his frequent grunts before he answered. "Out shopping right now. They should get back to where we're staying around noon." His voice was gruff with many hidden emotions. Most of which I could easily pinpoint as impatience, aggravation, and maybe even a little bit of uneasiness, which was most unlike my Kuro-puu.

I giggled at the memory his words triggered. "Maybe not, Kurgy. Maybe they'll get home later than intended because of men that work with Tomo-chan."

I saw Kuro shift in an almost unsurprised way. "How do you figure?"

Another risk that I was willing to take: to tell Kuro-chi how I knew everything that I did. "Promise not to tell and I'll spill the beans, okay Kurgo?" I finally looked up at him, to find his face in a calculating look. He was considering whether or not to actually agree to not telling anyone. My heart swelled at that: he actually didn't want to feel like he had cheated his travelling companions by not speaking to them. I smiled gently up at him. "It won't be forever, Kuro-pii," I promised him, "just until I can find those I'm looking for."

Kurogane considered this for a couple more minutes, his face set cold and hard in his thoughts. He looked so cute with that wrinkle between his eyebrows that showed he was seriously thinking about my offer. I swallowed down giggles and an outburst of cute nicknames.

Finally he agreed, crossing his arms across his chest—but it was not to be confused to what I was doing. I was hugging myself; he was trying to look tough even in his submission. I truly had to struggle against calling him Puppy or Daddy or Kuro-something. I settled to smiling hugely with my top teeth digging deep into my bottom lip. Kuro-Kuro's frown deepened at that. It must've been an odd sight to behold.

"You can't go back on your promise~" I crooned to him smugly. My eyes took on a threatening glint—I wasn't going to take cheating lightly. My message to him was clear, and he saw it flawlessly. His answering grunt and brisk nod confirmed that he'd understood. My smile widened. "Good~ now then… where do I start…?"

I directed my attention to him fully, cocking my head to the side: _'What do you want to know first?'_ was what I was asking him. He cleared his throat, keeping his eyes locked on mine to search for any hint of a lie. I kept my eyes level with his, unwavering.

"You possess magic like that magician, don't you?"

I raised an eyebrow at this. Was that _really_ the first thing he should have been asking? Slowly, I nodded my head to confirm him. His eyes remained unchanged at my answer.

"Is Yui you're real name?"

I blinked up at him, licking my lips with a sudden constriction squeezing my heart. _Dammit_. Why that question? There were a million other things he could've asked, and yet he asks the one that links directly with my past. My eyes flitted away from him, finding a sudden interest in the dead monitors behind his broad shoulders. My hands clenched fistfuls of my white hospital gown. Slight tearing sounds filled my ears.

I nodded again.

He tilted his head to one side, which I only saw partly. I still refused to look directly at him.

"Have you been in this Dragonfly Race before?" I gave him a look. He sighed and closed his eyes. "The one with _this same_ prize, dumbass."

With his eyes closed, I couldn't answer him without speaking aloud. I rubbed my tongue against the roof of my mouth dryly. The blood I had recently drunk wasn't helping much right now. I swallowed again. "…Water," I rasped, holding my throat with a hand. I knew he'd opened his eyes to look at me, but I closed my own sapphire ones so I didn't have to see him. "Can I...have some water first?"

He huffed. "If you avoid the subject I'm going to assume the worst, idiot!"

I opened one eye and looked up at him emotionlessly. I wasn't in the mood to be called an idiot. "And what's the worst?" Having my attention, he leaned forward, planting his hands on either side of me. I leaned away instinctively. _'What is he doing?'_

"You_ are _the magician, aren't you?" he guessed, those clever blood-red eyes boring holes into my wide blue ones. "You're Fai D Flourite."

My hands clenched tighter and the sound of ripping fabric was more noticeable. I looked down at my gown, surprised at all the holes I'd made.

"Well?" he asked gruffly.

My blonde bangs fell over my face, shielding my eyes as I examined my gown half-heartedly. "Yui D Flourite," I corrected him quietly.

A jolt ran through my spine when his hand was suddenly mussing up my hair again. I blushed, staring up at him. He was grinning, tan skin shining in the light of the room. My eyes widened even more. "K… Kuro?"

"At least this means that idiot mage is going to get better," he mused, his hand still large and warm on the top of my head. I blinked up at him. "Hey—don't look so surprised!" his hand ruffled up my hair more.

"M'not surprised," I muttered, still unable to look away from him. Kurogane snorted disbelievingly.

He let me go, and I went straight to work to straightening my hair. I didn't have my hairband, so my hair was thick and long, reaching my collarbone. I wonder—how had it felt to him? Silky and smooth? Or did my hair displease him? No…his eyes didn't look disappointed. They looked… proud?

Was he proud of me? What for?

He glanced over at a wall clock, showing it was a courter until noon. "I have to get going now. I have to do some repairs on my Dragonfly." He grumbled unhappily. "And that mage is gonna be there too."

I nodded, not even trying to conceal my disappointment. He smirked.

Kurogane held out a well-sculpted bronze hand for me. "Tomoyo has your Dragonfly with ours," he informed me quietly to explain his action. "You look well enough now. Will you come with me there?"

I smiled up at him, surprised and so very pleased at that. Taking his hand, I allowed him to pull me up. I staggered for a moment, a rush of blood racing to my head. And in that moment I fell into the man, my feet unsteady on the cold floor. "S-Sorry."

He righted me, and then gave my shoulder a small reassuring pat. "Let's go," he told me, turning and walking toward the door.

I followed after him joyfully, a skip in my step.

* * *

**Weeeeeeeerrrrrrrr! XDD**

**Hope you enjoyed! I tried to make this story a bit longer, since I couldn't update last week, but it still ended up kind of short. Sorry!**

**Thanks for your support!**


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